


the electronics of your heart (see how fast they fall apart)

by sylviewashere



Series: junksen week [1]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Abducted AU, F/F, Junksen Week, Supernatural AU - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 04:15:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15598074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sylviewashere/pseuds/sylviewashere
Summary: Aubrey is an FBI agent who gets called in to an interrogation. Reports show that the victim claims to have been abducted by aliens, which Aubrey practically laughs at. But work is work, so Aubrey meets Emily, who may end up being more trouble than Aubrey bargained for.





	1. goodbye to a world

**Author's Note:**

> for junksen week day 2: supernatural au
> 
> this will probably end up becoming a multichapter fic at some point. who knows when, but I have ideas.

The cold tile of the hallway makes Aubrey stiffen up automatically. Her heels click against the floor, the sound reverberating off of the walls. She checks her watch. Early. As always. No wonder the entire floor is empty.

Aubrey stands outside of the door for a moment, replaying what her boss had told her in her head, making sure that she holds an appropriate demeanor for this interrogation. She rolls back her shoulders, trying to loosen the tension from them, and reaches up to untie her hair from its usual tight bun, letting it fall in blonde waves down her shoulders. She subconsciously straightens out her white dress shirt, making sure the tail is tucked in all the way. Nothing can be out of place, even when she wants to appear more relaxed than usual.

The call had come in a few days ago. In a little rural town just a few hours away from D.C., there had been a sighting of an unidentified flying object. Normally, the government's involvement with such sightings would be more lowkey, something that Aubrey wouldn't have to get involved in. But this time, there was a reported abduction. The abductee had been unsure of what to do, so they called the police. The police  directed them to the FBI, and then the responsibility fell on Aubrey to investigate.

Aubrey thought the whole thing was idiotic. Chances are, the so-called abductee was drunk or high or both, and just imagined the whole thing. But, Aubrey isn't one to question the standard proceedure. So, she waits outside of the interrogation room until she gets the signal to enter.

She hears footsteps from the other side of the hallway and a door opens. There's voices coming from the room, gruff ones that Aubrey recognizes as security guards. A meeker voice says something that Aubrey can't decipher, but it sounds terrified. The door on Aubrey's side swings open, and she meets the eyes of a surly looking guard. "You're cleared to go in, Agent Posen."

"Thank you. You may wait in the other room. Assistance won't be necessary."

"Understood, ma'am. The emergency call button is in working order, if needed."

As Aubrey enters the harsh lights of the interrogation room, she immediately notes that the emergency call button won't be even thought about. On the other side of the table is a girl with huge brown eyes filled with worry and long, dark hair that keeps falling into her face because of how she's hunched over. The sleeves of her hoodie are too long, even though it seems like she has fairly long limbs, and they come to the palms of her hands. There's a scar right under her left eye, breaking up the scattering of light freckles across her cheeks. Aubrey silently wonders if the scar is part of the reason she's here.

Aubrey notices her hands shaking as they tinker with a pen that was left on the table. She gives the girl a soft smile. The girl looks at her like she hasn't been shown any sort of kindness all day - which is pretty likely, Aubrey guesses, since most of these cases are treated like they're insane - and gives Aubrey a shy smile back.

"Good morning. My name is Agent Posen, but you may call me Aubrey if you want." Aubrey sits down across from the girl and places the file she's holding on the table between them. The girl eyes it carefully, like it could blow up any second. Aubrey flips open a small notepad and clicks her pen three times - a ritual she can never quite shake. "I've received a file from the police officer you gave your original report to, but I think I would like to hear the story from you personally. First things first, can you tell me your name?"

"Emily. Emily Junk." She cracks a small smile. "Unfortunate, right?"

"No, I think Emily is a lovely name," Aubrey says without looking up from what she's writing in her notes.

Emily chuckles at this, some of the worry visibly leaving her body. Aubrey hears a quietly mumbled, "Thank you."

"How old are you, Emily? And where are you from?"

"I'm 23. And I was born in New York, but I've lived everywhere from Ohio to Canada to Georgia. Now I'm living in Viriginia."

"So, you must be fresh out of college then?"

"I'm going into my senior year, actually. I took a gap year this last year. I might take another one."

"Where do you attend school?"

"Barden University. That's in - "

"Georgia, yes," Aubrey finishes her sentence. Emily nods. Aubrey typically usually wouldn't disclose any sort of personal information to people she's interrogating, but if it will help ease this girl's nerves a little more, she'll take her chances. "I have friends and family who attended Barden. I myself actually went there for a semester before transferring."

"Great minds, I suppose."

Most people who get thrown into interrogation hate this entire process, this small talk before they get asked the hard questions. It makes them nervous from anticipation. But Emily is clearly thriving on it, sitting up straight in her chair now and no longer fidgeting with the pen, but talking animatedly with her hands. Aubrey guesses that if she were to keep asking Emily mundane questions for two hours, Emily would answer each one with a smile and an especially detailed explanation. But Aubrey's next question leaves Emily retreating into herself again.

"You said you took a gap year and are considering another one. Is there any reason for that?"

Emily's expression falls a little. "Yes."

"Is that reason why you live in Virginia now?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me, Emily?" Aubrey asks. Emily hunches over again, hands finding the pen.

Aubrey examines her carefully, watching the way she methodically takes the pen apart and puts it back together. Unscrewing the cap. Taking out the ink and spring mechanism. Placing them carefully side by side. Rolling the spring in her fingers for a moment. Putting them back inside the pen. Screwing the cap back on. Repeat.

"My grandmother," Emily looks up finally. Her eyes don't meet Aubrey's, so Aubrey assumes that she's staring at her reflection in the one-way mirror behind her. "She's sick. My dad can't stop working to be with her, and she doesn't have any other family who can take care of her. So I offered to."

"You seem to be a very kind person, Emily."

"I'm sure that anyone would do it."

"I'm sure that you'd be wrong about that," Aubrey says, searching Emily's eyes. Emily is easy to read. It seems like she wears every emotion on her sleeve, something Aubrey could never dream of doing. The worry has settled back in Emily's eyes, but Aubrey suspects that it's not worry for her own situation anymore. "Either way, your grandmother is very lucky to have you."

Emily's smile is sadder this time, but genuine nonetheless.

"Now, Emily. Can you tell me what happened on the night of July 27th?"

The smile fades.

"I just need to know what happened that night, Emily. That's why we're here after all."

Silence.

"I want to help you, Emily," Aubrey almost whispers. "If you don't want to tell me anything, then you will be released and this will never be spoken of again. But, I think that you have something that you want to say."

"I do. It's just..."

"Just what, Emily?"

"It doesn't feel real."

Aubrey nods slowly. "Did it feel like a dream or more dissociative?"

Emily thinks for a moment, eyes drifting to the mirror again. "Dissociative. Like, I was there, but faraway from myself. My memory isn't super clear."

"Tell me as much as you can," Aubrey says gently.

"I'm going to sound crazy."

"Crazy, I can handle," Aubrey smirks. "But I can't help you at all if you don't tell me anything."

Emily sucks in a deep breath and dives into an explanation that leaves her breathless. Her grandmother lives deep in rural Vriginia, in an area that has more farmland than houses. Emily needed a break from caring for her dying relative and decided to take a walk and maybe write some music to clear her head. After that, Emily's explanation starts failing her. She remembers seeing something in the distant sky, and all of a sudden it wasn't very distant any more. A bright light, feeling her legs give out under her, feeling like she was floating and falling all at once.

Then, she woke up in the cornfield across from her grandmother's house.

Aubrey nods her reassurance through all of Emily's story, writing down as much as she can catch. After Emily finishes speaking, her eyes seem a little more wild than they earlier, a little glassier. The silence in the room is deafening, only broken by the scratch of Aubrey's pen.

"Thank you, Emily," Aubrey says finally. "I know you must be shaken up."

Emily doesn't say anything. Aubrey doesn't push her any more. She finally opens the file in front of her.

 

 **_CASE FILE NUMBER#: 5139122510211411_ **  
**_NAME: EMILY KATHERINE JUNK_ **  
**_MEDICAL STATUS: NORMAL_ **

 

Eyes scan the profile quickly. Aubrey smiles slightly when she sees Emily's photo attached. Her eyes are bright and full of life. Much different from the Emily she's seen today. One line in particular stands out to Aubrey, and she sighs deeply when she reads it. She closes the file and looks back up at Emily.

"Well, Emily. It seems like you're all clear to go."

"Oh, okay. What happens now?"

"Nothing."

A beat.

"What?"

"I can't do anything for you."

"Why?" Aubrey can see Emily's anger rising to the surface. "You said that if I told you what happened you'd be able to do something about this. What if someone else gets abducted? What if I have, like, radiation poisoning?"

"Your medical file says that you're perfectly healthy." Aubrey remains calm, even though Emily is standing now. Aubrey stands so that she can meet her gaze. She's only barely Emily's height with heels on. "I told you that I might be able to help. But since you've shown no abnormal medical conditions, I've been ordered to release you. Your report will be filed - "

"So that's all this whole thing was? The government swept me up and brought me here, scared the shit out of me all for what? To get a report? You couldn't have just used the report I gave to the police?"

"Emily," Aubrey's voice comes out firm, but Emily doesn't back down. "I'm going to be blunt with you. The government has been getting reports like yours for years. Every case is the same. We keep doing these interrogations in case new information comes in. But it never does. You're no different from the others."

Emily's eyes lose a bit of their fire.

"I don't mean it like that," Aubrey adds quickly. "Your case is no different from the others. There's just nothing that warrents us to do any more investigation. And without any hard proof that something happened to you...Your story is just that. A story. Does that make sense?"

"It does," Emily sighs and sinks back into her chair. Aubrey watches her curiously. This should be where Aubrey releases her, and they never speak again. But something in Emily's eyes still looks unsure. Like there's still something she hasn't told Aubrey. Aubrey makes a split second decision and reaches into her pocket for her wallet.

"I'm very sorry that your time has been wasted, Emily. Like my father always says, 'Your time is your most valuable possesion, next to your house and your car'." Emily gives Aubrey a confused smile that Aubrey can't help but find endearing. She reaches her hand out, and when Emily goes to shake her hand, Aubrey slips a card into it. Emily's eyebrows furrow together in confusion. Aubrey looks between the card and Emily's hoodie pocket pointedly, and Emily gets the point, stuffing her hands and the card into her pocket.

"It was nice talking to you, Emily," Aubrey says. Then in a more hushed tone, just loud enough for Emily to catch, "If you need anything, give me a call. Okay?"

Emily nods and thanks Aubrey. The guards come back in the room to escort Emily out. The girl gives Aubrey a fearful look again.

"You're going home, Emily. You're safe. I promise."

//

An unknown number pops up on Aubrey's phone. Not even glancing away from the road, she presses the button on her steering wheel to answer it.

"This is Agent Posen speaking."

"Um, hi."

Aubrey almost crashes the car out of surprise, but she steadies her hands again. Honestly, if someone had told her two weeks ago that she'd be hearing this voice again, Aubrey would've asked them if they had undergone their medical assessment.

"Emily, hi. I'm surprised to hear from you." Flashes of everything Emily had told her run through Aubrey's mind. "Is everything...are you okay?"

"I...I don't think so, Aubrey."

Aubrey takes a deep breath. She pulls over into a gas station and parks, but her hands still grip the wheel tight.

"Has something happened?"

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know if it's something. That's why I called you. Can you..." Emily trails off like she's about to ask Aubrey to give her a million dollars. Aubrey knows that what Emily needs is something she's more than willing to do though.

"Set up a place for us to meet and text me the location. I can be down there by this afternoon."

Aubrey can practically see Emily's relieved smile through the phone.

//

Aubrey knows she's getting close to her destination when the houses become more and more spread out, seperated by fields growing to the brim with corn and soybeans. Something about driving down a country backroad in a well-loved truck always makes Aubrey feel at peace.

A wave of nostalgia crashes over Aubrey. This small town isn't that far away from where much of her family is from. Where Aubrey spent half of her time when her parents divorced and her mother moved away from D.C. and back home.

The little bell above the door chimes when Aubrey steps into the diner. It smells distinctly like fried food, which is tempting Aubrey to break her good eating habits. The diner is surprisingly full for this time of day, but she supposes that most of these people are locals and have been eating here since 1943.

There's one young face in the whole diner, and Aubrey makes her way in that direction. Emily sits up a little straighter when she sees Aubrey approaching.

"Agent Posen, thank you so much for coming. I didn't know if you'd be hungry or not, but I ordered two slices of pecan pie." Emily gestures to the plates on the table proudly. "It's the best around. Well, save for my grandmother's maybe. But she hasn't made it in a while...Oh my, are you allergic to pecans? I should've asked, I'm sorry."

Aubrey smirks a little at Emily's rambling. She slides into the booth across from her and notices Emily watching her every move with rapt attention. "You're fine, Emily. Thank you. I love pecan pie. Also, I thought I told you that you could call me Aubrey."

"Right, sorry."

Not one to ever beat around the bush, Aubrey glances around quickly to see if anyone would be listening to them. She deems the area all clear and turns back to Emily.

"Now, why did you bring me here, Emily?"

Emily pushes the food around on her plate, apparently not too eager about the pie anymore. "Things have been happening. Strange power surges."

"Is that all?" Aubrey did not drive six hours because of some shitty electricity.

"No...I..." Emily chews on her lip. "This was a bad idea. I'm sorry, I just...This was a mistake."

"You're not telling me something."

"No. I mean, yes." Emily sucks in a breath. Her eyes catch sight of something on the table and widen. Aubrey follows her gaze, but all she sees is the fork laying on the table. "Did you see that?"

"See what, Em?"

"It was levitating." Emily's voice is barely a whisper. Aubrey inspects the fork again, but nothing is out of the ordinary about it at all.

Meeting Emily's now frantic eyes again, Aubrey sighs. "Emily, I'm afraid that you might be hallucinating. It's a common occurance after these sorts of incidents. Nothing is wrong with you. It just may take some time for things to feel normal again."

Emily stays silent, eyes darting around the room like things might start floating again.

"Emily, I have a good friend who might be able to help work through some of this. She's great with trauma victims. Only if you want to though. I know it's hard to deal with."

"You don't believe me."

"Emily, I - "

"You think I'm crazy." Emily's expression hardens.

"I never said that." Emily won't  meet her eyes at all anymore. She instead stares fixedly out the window, watching the cars roll by. Aubrey sighs. "I'm going to use the restroom. And give you some space for a minute. But when I come back, can we please talk about this?"

Aubrey thinks Emily isn't going to respond at all, so she gets up without waiting any longer. But as she's leaving, she hears Emily mumble, "Okay. I'm sorry." Aubrey smiles and keeps walking.

The bathroom is so tiny it makes Aubrey claustrophobic. She sighs and stares at herself in the dusty mirror. All she wants is to help Emily, but she doesn't know how much she can do anymore.

She doesn't even know what could've caused this, since usually "abductees" just imagined the whole thing while under the influence. But Emily says she doesn't drink or smoke. Perhaps it was something deeper. Aubrey wonders if the isolation of living out in the country with nobody around but a dying relative might have contributed to this.

The lights of the bathroom flicker ominously for a second, making Aubrey wonder what kind of shitty electric company powers this town. But she doesn't have much time to think about it, because there's suddenly a huge explosion sound that shakes the walls of the restroom, sending the mirror shattering to the ground.

Shards of glass cut Aubrey's shirt and skin, but she doesn't notice as she practically busts down the doors hinges to get to the dining room. Through the window, Aubrey can see a truck turned completely on its side, smoking heavily. It's completely totalled.

Wait.

Shit.

That's Aubrey's truck.

Aubrey is about to run outside, but she's suddenly pulled aside. Her hand is on her concealed gun automatically, but it falls when she sees Emily's hands wrapped around her arm. "Aubrey, we have to leave."

"What the hell happened?"

"We have to go, now before the police show up and start asking questions."

"That's my fucking truck!" Aubrey points out the window at the smoking heap. Everyone in the diner is scattered and yelling so nobody even notices Aubrey and Emily.

"I know. Hope the government provides good insurance," Emily says, pulling Aubrey out the side door and to her own pickup. She hops into the driver's seat and starts the ignition. Aubrey stands outside the passenger side though, refusing to move. Emily reaches over and shoves the door open, almost hitting Aubrey. "Aubrey, get in!"

"No, tell me what happened first!"

"Your truck blew up!"

"Clearly, Emily. But how?" Aubrey is throwing her hands around now, frustrated with Emily's sudden urgency.

"I think I did it, okay!" Emily snaps. This is not at all the answer Aubrey was expecting. She runs through everything that's happened in the last twenty minutes in her head, but there's no possible way Emily could have set anything. Nothing is adding up. "I think I did it, but it wasn't on purpose. I don't understand what's happening, but I know that I need you to help me figure it out. Nothing is going to happen to you if I can help it. Please, Aubrey, do you trust me?"

All of Aubrey's training is screaming _absolutely fucking not, do not get into the truck of the girl who is claiming that she somehow blew up your truck._ But this situation didn't exactly come up in training. No training could have prepared Aubrey for Emily Junk.

She doesn't know why she believes Emily, why she trusts her so easily. Aubrey doesn't trust anyone. Maybe it's because Emily is like nobody Aubrey's ever met before. Emily is the type of person who loves small talk. She's the type of person who orders an almost stranger pecan pie, but then worries that they might have an allergy. She's the type of person who puts their entire life on hold just to be with their dying grandmother. Even if Emily was the one who blew up Aubrey's truck, she trusts her.

Aubrey hikes herself up and gets into the truck.

(God, she hopes that trusting Emily's sweet, innocent face isn't how she dies.)


	2. all the broken glass sparkling

The only sound that Aubrey can hear is the tires against the gravel of the road and fire truck sirens in the distance. She hasn’t looked at Emily once since she jumped into the truck, and Emily hasn’t made any move to look at her. Her eyes stay focused on the road ahead of her, no clue where she’s headed. 

Aubrey Posen always has a plan. But right now? Nothing. 

“So…how was your drive down here? Was there a lot of traffic?” 

Aubrey whips her head around to face Emily, who is still staring at the road. “Emily, what the  _ fuck?”  _

“I’m sorry! I don’t know what else to say and it was getting really quiet and awkward in here and I hate awkward silences so I tried to fill it but I don’t exactly know what we’re supposed to do!” 

“Maybe start with telling me what the hell happened back there?” Aubrey says through gritted teeth. “And where are you driving us?” 

“I’m taking us to my grandmother’s house. At least give us somewhere to stay until we figure out what to do about getting you home. And I told you, I don’t understand what happened.” Emily grips the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles are turning white, and Aubrey wouldn’t be surprised if she broke a piece of it off. 

“Okay, okay,” Aubrey takes a deep breath and tries to settle the churning in her stomach. “I was only in the bathroom for a minute, what happened during that time?” 

“I was just sitting there, looking out the window. And - and then suddenly - !” Emily makes a little explosion noise and an exaggerated gesture with her hand that Aubrey would find more endearing if they weren’t talking about her truck blowing up right now. “Explosion. Fire. Smoke.”

“That’s it?” 

Emily nods. 

“I don’t understand, Emily.” Aubrey shakes her head in disbelief. “How can you be so sure that you caused that?”

“I felt it.” 

“You felt it,” Aubrey repeats in monotone.

“Yes. In like...my bones.” Aubrey stares at Emily blankly. She’s pretty sure Emily’s absolutely lost it at this point. “Or like, maybe in my veins is more accurate. Or muscles. I don’t know, anatomy was never my strong suit. I mix up metacarpals and metatarsals still.” 

“So, what you’re trying to tell me is that you somehow made my truck spontaneously combust. With your mind, essentially.” 

“You don’t believe me.” 

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Aubrey mumbles under her breath. She can see Emily gripping the wheel even tighter and her eyebrows furrow. Aubrey lets out a deep sigh and turns to look out the window. She watches the land roll by, field after field. “I’m not calling you crazy, Emily. It’s just a little hard to believe.”

“It sure sounds like you’re calling me crazy.” Emily turns and looks at Aubrey, staring at her with an intensity Aubrey didn’t think she was capable of. 

“There are so many other things in the realm of possibilities that the likelihood of you having some sort of powers just seems a little --” Aubrey turns back to the road and in that split second she sees a truck swerving toward them with no signs of stopping. “Emily!” 

Emily’s eyes cut back to the road and she tries to jerk the wheel fast enough to avoid a collision, but Aubrey can tell that she’s not fast enough. “Aubrey!” She feels Emily arm fly towards her to stop her from jerking forward. Aubrey closes her eyes and braces herself for the crash. 

She feels Emily’s truck screech to a halt, but other than that, nothing happens. Her eyes blink open, and her arms drop from where they were covering her face to her lap. Out the windshield, she can see the truck that was barreling towards them, almost completely unharmed. And it’s stopped a distance away from them. 

And it’s  _ levitating.  _

Emily is still staring out of the windshield, fixated on the floating truck, when Aubrey turns to look at her. Aubrey’s voice barely reaches a whisper when she tentatively tries to get her attention. “Emily? Is that…?”

“Floating? Yeah.” Emily doesn’t dare look away from the truck. Her hand is still hovering near Aubrey, shaking. Aubrey carefully puts her hand over Emily’s to try to get her to stop shaking. Emily finally tears her eyes away from the truck and eyes Aubrey’s hand on hers for a moment before yanking it away, fear filling her eyes. 

A crash makes both of them turn to the road again. The truck plummets to the ground, landing on all four wheels somehow. But the intensity of the fall seems to have caused a fair amount of damage to it. Emily’s hands fly to cover her mouth when she catches the eye of the driver. Aubrey watches her quickly unbuckle her seatbelt and dash out of the car. “Emily, what are you doing?” 

“Seeing if he’s okay!” Aubrey follows her, watching her as she helps the man out of the driver’s seat. “Sir, are you hurt? Do you need us to call the police or an ambulance or anything?” 

“No, I think I’m okay,” he huffs. “Just a few scrapes and bruises from the fall, but not nearly as bad as it could have been if I’d crashed into y’all. So sorry about that, She’s an old truck. Been acting up for months, but I haven’t taken her in. Guess this is a sign that it’s about time to huh? Are you ladies okay?” 

“A little shaken up,” Emily admits. “But we’re unharmed. Right, Aubrey?” 

“Yes, I’m fine. Considering it all.”  _ All  _ meaning  _ I just saw a truck levitate and I think Emily did it and holy shit what is happening.  _

“Damn weird things’ve been happening around here lately.” The man scratches the back of his head while he inspects his truck for damage. “First my son says he’s seen a goddamn UFO, next thing you know my truck’s floatin’ like it’s a spaceship.”

Emily’s eyes widen, but Aubrey is quick to react before Emily can start speaking. “Your truck just flipped, sir.” He looks at Aubrey like he’s not quite sure. “It probably felt a lot slower than it actually happened. You most likely blacked out when it happened, so you don’t remember it. But Emily and I saw it. Didn’t we?” 

Emily just nods frantically in response, eyes darting between Aubrey and the man. He sighs and turns back to his truck. “I suppose you’re probably right, miss. Makes more sense than what I was saying.” 

They offer to give him a ride, but he politely declines and says he’s going to wait for the tow truck to come. He waves them off as Emily drives away. Her eyes are fixated on the road again, but Aubrey can’t stop staring at her. 

“Now you’ve seen it, do you believe it?” 

“I don’t want to believe,” Aubrey whispers. “But I think I do.” 

She can feel her stomach churning and she tries to close her eyes and take deep breaths. Emily being crazy, she could’ve handled. But this? These inexplicable powers? There was no training for this. There’s no guidebook titled  _ What To Do When Your Friend Gains Powers After Being Abducted by Aliens.  _

Which Aubrey still wouldn’t read because it can’t be aliens. It absolutely can’t be. There must be some other sort of explanation. Radiation poisoning. A genetic anomaly. Struck by lightning. Anything but alien abduction. 

Emily says something about them being close to her grandmother’s house, but Aubrey only vaguely hears her as she grips the door handle of the truck. “Emily, pull over.”

Emily looks at her funny, and Aubrey thinks she asks if she’s okay. But as Emily pulls over to the side of the empty road, Aubrey ignores her questions and jumps out of the truck. She clutches her stomach and vomits into the ditch, her nausea finally catching up to her. Hands start to rub her back, and really Aubrey probably should be a little more hesitant about having Emily get so close to her. 

But the gesture is comforting, and - after her stomach is empty - she allows Emily to lead her back to the truck.

//

The sun is already setting by the time they finally reach the house. It’s a quaint little place, but it fits in with the whole town. The yard is messy, filled with old farm equipment, and the white paint is peeling off of the house. The only part of the home that looks fairly new is the swing on the front porch, decorated with bright pillows and a blanket hanging over the back. Something tells Aubrey that Emily made that addition. 

A dog barking makes Aubrey jump a little, but Emily quickly runs over to it and starts petting it, which makes the animal calm down immediately. 

“Sorry about that,” Emily lets the dog off of the chain that’s staked to the ground outside of a shed. The dog - which Aubrey can tell now is an ancient beagle- immediately runs over to Aubrey and start nudging her. “This old fella is Duke. He used to be a hunting dog when my grandfather was still around. But now all he hunts is any dinner I make.” 

Aubrey rubs Duke behind the ears, which earns her several licks on the hand. “Good boy.” 

When Emily steps onto the porch to unlock the door, Aubrey lingers by the steps. “You can come in too, you know.” 

“I just remembered. Your grandma. Is she okay with this? I don’t want to be a burden.”

“My grandmother...Oh, I didn’t tell you.” Emily leans her head against the screen door and crosses her arms over her chest. “She died a couple of weeks ago. About two days after I got back from seeing you.” 

“Oh my god, Emily. I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s okay, you didn’t know.” Emily gives her a sad smile and waves at her to come inside. “We knew it was coming. The funeral was nice. As far as funerals go, I guess. I’ve never been to one before. Except my grandfather, but I was little.” 

Aubrey lets Emily talk to her about the house and lead her through dimly lit hallways. The inside looks a lot neater than the outside. Duke trots along beside Emily until they reach the kitchen, where he goes and starts whining at his food bowl. Emily rolls her eyes at him and dumps a small amount of food into the bowl. 

“Do you need anything?” Emily turns to Aubrey. “You threw up back there. I think I have something for nausea in one of these cabinets.” 

“Just water. And maybe some mouthwash. It happens sometimes. An adverse reaction to stress.” 

“You must be upchucking a lot then, working for the FBI and all.” Emily gets Aubrey a glass of water and passes it to her. 

Aubrey smiles a little at Emily’s use of the word  _ upchuck.  _ “Not really. I’m trained for that sort of thing. But I’m not trained for…” 

“Some chick you just met making shit levitate?” 

“Something like that.” 

Emily doesn’t say anything else about the events of the day. Instead she busies herself running around the house trying to figure out the sleeping arrangements. Aubrey stops trying to follow her after Emily exits and enters the bathroom for no reason for a third time. 

“Shoot!” Emily throws her hands in the air and starts walking to one of the bedrooms. Aubrey follows her this time. “You don’t have any extra clothes do you?” 

Aubrey opens her mouth to say that she did prepare a bag, because she always has a backup plan, but then she realizes that it was in her truck. “No. Someone set them on fire.” 

Emily cringes and starts pulling clothes out of the dresser. “Right. You can borrow some of my clothes. It’s no biggie.” 

“I can sleep in this.” 

“You want to sleep in a nice blouse and blazer?” Emily raises an eyebrow. “Do you need a tie too?” 

“Very funny,” Aubrey rolls her eyes. 

“Either you sleep in that or borrow something of mine. The only other options are sleeping naked or borrowing my grandmother’s clothes. Your call.” 

Aubrey sighs and holds her hand out. Emily grins and places a shirt and pants in her hand. “Good choice. Although, you would’ve looked adorable as a grandma.” 

Emily lets Aubrey change in the bedroom while she changes in the adjoining bathroom. The shirt Emily gave her appears to be from some sort of summer camp called Sunny Days and has a faded, smiling sun wearing sunglasses on it, and it smells like vanilla. It fits fine, but the sweatpants are a little too long and pool over Aubrey’s feet. 

Aubrey stares at herself in the dusty vanity for a moment, sighing at her tired eyes. “How did you get yourself into this mess, Posen?” 

The bathroom door creaks and Emily pokes her head out, hand covering her eyes. “Are you clothed?” 

“Yeah, sorry.” Emily smiles and walks back in, wearing a loose black Rolling Stones shirt and shorts with little sheep on them. Aubrey chastises herself for allowing her eyes to trail up Emily’s legs. “So, is this where I’m sleeping?” 

“Funny story, actually…” 

“I feel like this isn’t going to be funny.” 

“So, there’s only two bedrooms. This one is mine and the other one is - was - my grandmother’s. And I don’t know exactly how you’d feel about sleeping where she…” Emily trails off, but Aubrey gets the picture. Emily must sense Aubrey’s hesitance, so she quickly adds, “You know what? I’ll take the couch.”

“No, Emily. It’s your bed. I can sleep on the couch.” 

“You’re my guest.” 

“And as your guest, I insist on taking the couch.” Aubrey says defiantly. 

Emily sighs, clearly seeing that Aubrey’s stubbornness is going to win out. “Fine. But if it you change your mind, you’re welcome to sleep in here with me.” 

“I’ll be fine.” 

//

She is definitely not fine. 

The couch is impossibly uncomfortable. Plus, Emily forgot to tell her that this is apparently Duke’s bed. He wouldn’t be so terrible if he didn’t want to sleep right on top of her. And whenever she places him on the ground, he just licks her face. 

Aubrey stares at the ceiling for a while, listening to Duke whine at her. She briefly thinks about going to the room that belonged to Emily’s grandmother, but even just thinking about it makes her skin crawl a bit. She finally gives up on sleeping at all and pads into the kitchen, trying not to slip on her pants legs. She finds her charging phone and starts checking her emails at the breakfast table. 

“Aubrey?” A soft, raspy voice sends a warmth through Aubrey’s chest. She looks up and sees Emily in the doorway. “What are you doing up?” 

“I couldn’t sleep,” Aubrey admits. “What about you?” 

“Nightmare woke me up. Came to get some water.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay. I’m getting used to them.” Emily shrugs.

“Can I ask you something?” 

“Sure, anything.” 

“Why do you stay here? I don’t think it’s good for you to be here, all alone.” 

“I don’t know.” Emily sighs and starts rearranging the old letter magnets that are on the fridge. One of them clatters to the ground. Emily doesn’t pick it up, just pushes at it with her foot. “I guess it seems wrong to leave it. I got used to living here. I never really visited it much as a kid, until I had to move in. But I like it. It’s quiet and feels like home to me now. Even though I don’t exactly have great memories with it. No running through the field with Duke or making pecan pies. Just taking care of my grandmother, really. And she couldn’t do much, so I kind of made this place into my own. Rearranged things, cleaned up, got some new furniture. I guess that doesn’t really explain anything.” 

“I think I get what you mean,” Aubrey picks up the ‘Y’ magnet that Emily’s been messing with. She looks at the letters Emily was arranging and smiles. She places the Y in the spot where Emily was spelling out  _ Aubrey.  _ “You made this place your own. That’s special.” 

Emily smiles and starts to leave, but looks over her shoulder at Aubrey again. “Come on.” 

“What?” 

“You need to sleep, and you’re obviously not going to get any on that couch.” 

“I’m just thinking, trying to figure out what to do tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow is tomorrow. We’ll figure it out then.” Emily walks over and takes Aubrey’s hand, sleepily leading her to the bedroom. Aubrey gives up and lets her. “Tonight, we sleep.” 

Emily flops back into the bed unceremoniously, while Aubrey slips in carefully, trying her best to keep to her own side. It’s in vain, though, since the bed is clearly not meant for two adults. The two of them are basically back to back. Emily is warm against her, and that combined with the soft sound of Emily’s breathing lulls Aubrey to sleep.  

//

After sleeping with Emily pressed against her all night - which, Aubrey is trying not to think about too much - Aubrey feels distinctly lonely when she wakes up to find the bed empty. Half-awake and not completely aware of where the hell she is, she rubs her eyes and manages to find the bathroom again. 

She puts her hair up in a bun and walks into the kitchen, finding Emily sitting on the counter, eating cereal and balancing her laptop precariously on her lap. 

“You’re going to spill milk on your laptop if you do that.” 

“Mmph, Aubrey!” Emily says through a mouthful of Froot Loops. She swallows before she continues. “You’re awake, great. I didn’t know if you preferred coffee or tea, so I kind of made both. I’ll take whatever you don’t want. I have some news, but I’ll give you a chance to wake up before I start.” 

“Thank you, Emily.” Aubrey takes the cup of coffee from the counter and starts pouring in creamer. Emily smiles and takes the tea, and by her expression Aubrey can tell that Emily was really hoping she’d get the tea. Aubrey takes a deep breath, inhaling the scent of warm coffee and also that vanilla smell that seems to follow Emily everywhere. She takes a sip before saying, “You can go ahead and tell me. I’m used to people dumping info on me this early.” 

“Cool cool cool.” Emily tips her cereal bowl and drinks the milk out of the bottom before putting it in the sink next to her. She squints at her laptop for a moment and scrolls before finding what she was looking for. “Alright, so I was doing some research the other day. There weren’t a ton of reports of what happened to people after they were abducted, so I kind of gave up. That’s when I called you. I didn’t know who else might know anything about what was happening.” 

Aubrey feels a rush of guilt wash over her. She was Emily’s only hope at understanding what was going on with herself, and Aubrey basically called her crazy. Emily doesn’t seem to be holding too much of a grudge though. 

“It’s okay, I would’ve probably thought I was crazy too.” Emily says, meeting Aubrey’s eyes with a soft look. “Anyway, that aside. I added to my search and included reports of gaining mysterious powers also.” 

“And you found something?” Aubrey raises her eyebrows. 

“It’s a blog post, but it’s something.” Emily starts reading from her laptop. Aubrey listens with rapt attention, forgetting about her coffee that’s growing cold in her hands.  _ “This article was previously meant to be submitted to an unnamed college’s science review journal, but was placed in the Science Fiction category. I’ve repeatedly tried to get this changed, but no dice. Since this happened, and, I, the author refuses to let this story go, I decided it would be best to publish it elsewhere. _

_ “A months ago, a couple who I am friends with came to me. They had been eerily distant for a weeks, so I was surprised to see them show up while I was working late in the lab. The two, recount to me a story that has been a trope in sci-fi for years: alien abduction. At first, I thought this was some sort of prank, but after listening to their story and upon months of testing, I can conclude that, whether this was the cause of an abduction or not, something has definitely been altered within them. A medical examination made them appear normal, which is why this is being called a ruse.”  _

“That sounds familiar.” 

“Right?” Emily continues on, reading the scientist document how her tests showed the couple’s effect on electricity and uncanny telekinetic abilities. Aubrey doesn’t realize how close she’s gotten to Emily as she moved to look at the photos that are on the post. When Emily stops reading, Aubrey glances over at her. They’re shoulder to shoulder now, but Aubrey blushes and moves away when Emily’s dark eyes meet her own. 

“This is really interesting and all, Emily. But what are you going to do with this information?” 

“Contact this Stacie Conrad person, obviously.” Emily shuts her laptop and hops down from the counter. “See if this is all real. She listed her email, so I sent her one asking to meet. And look! She already responded saying that she’d love to meet me. All three of them, Stacie and the couple, apparently live in Georgia. Not that far from Barden actually.” 

“That’s great, Emily. When do you leave?” 

“I was actually kind of hoping you’d come with me,” Emily says quietly, tracing the stickers on her laptop. “But that was dumb, I guess. You have work to do, and who knows how long I end up staying? I can pull up a list of flights back to D.C. if you want, or I could drive you up and then back down to head to Georgia. Or we could go to a car dealership and get you a new one. Since I destroyed your old truck, I think it’s only fair that I - ”

“Emily, slow down.” 

Emily stops talking and chews on her lip instead, searching Aubrey’s eyes. Aubrey, who is currently the only one she can depend on. Thoughts of Emily travelling to Georgia to find these complete strangers shoot through Aubrey’s mind. She puts her mug in the sink and starts walking to the bedroom. 

“Alright, I’m in. Tell me when you want to leave.” Aubrey doesn’t see Emily’s face light up, but she definitely feels the body crashing into her and wrapping her in a hug from behind. 

“Thank you.” Emily mumbles into her neck. Emily’s warm breath against Aubrey’s neck makes her shiver. “We’ll get dressed and head out in a couple of hours? Oh, wait. Do you need clothes, or do you want to wear your old ones?” 

“If you have something I can borrow…” Aubrey trails off and Emily releases her, walking into the bedroom with a little more skip in her step than Aubrey’s seen. Emily hands her another set of clothes and assures her that they’ll stop and let Aubrey get some clothes of her own on the way. 

While Aubrey gets dressed in another t-shirt of Emily’s, she keeps telling herself that she’s doing this for business reasons only. She assured Emily she would look out for her, and that’s what she’s doing. And this information is something the government is completely unaware of, something that they’d want to know. She hears Emily singing softly from the bathroom, and her lips tug up in a smile. 

Business reasons only. Nothing else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for the awesome reception on the first chapter. i don't know how long this will end up being, but I at least have a few more chapters in mind for this.


	3. ignorance is torture (but your love is right)

The two of them set off around noon for Georgia. Aubrey offers to drive Emily’s truck, and she happily agrees. Aubrey suspects that she might still be shaken up from earlier. But given the fact that Emily basically saved their lives, Aubrey wouldn’t have a problem with her driving. Emily is content in the passenger seat though, flipping through the music on her phone and humming to herself. 

“Any suggestions?” 

“Whatever you want is fine.” 

“How do you feel about 80s music?” Emily asks without looking up from her phone. 

“I’d be crazy if I disliked it,” Aubrey states blankly. Emily giggles and start playing Michael Jackson. 

The car ride is uneventful, conversation flowing between the two easily. Mainly Emily tells Aubrey stories from when they pass through cities she’s visited, or remind her of some anecdote from her childhood. Aubrey chimes in, but mostly she stays focused on driving and listening to Emily’s stories. 

Emily keeps stopping in the middle of her sentences to sing the chorus of songs and then picking up exactly where she left off. Aubrey can’t help smirking each time she does this, but Emily doesn’t notice. 

When “The Sign” starts playing, Aubrey can’t resist singing along any longer. Emily gasps and slaps her arm gently, exclaiming that, “Oh my gosh! You can like, sing!” Which leads to Emily asking Aubrey what her favorite songs to sing are and playing all of them, getting in Aubrey’s face and singing if Aubrey doesn’t sing along immediately. They even end up getting into Emily’s secret country music playlist - her “guilty pleasure” - and Emily practically screams when Aubrey is able to sing along to some of them. 

They avoid talking about the reason they’re even driving together completely. 

By the time they get to South Carolina, they’ve run through all of Emily’s playlists. They switch the radio on, and Emily ends up falling asleep, curling up in the seat. Aubrey turns the radio to something mellow and yawns, trying to keep from rubbing her eyes. Emily had been keeping her awake until this point, but now her reserve is faltering. She pulls over and finds coffee as soon as she can. 

As they cross over the state lines into Georgia, Emily wakes up again, looking dazed and confused. 

“How long was I asleep?” 

“Just a couple of hours.” 

“Let me drive.”

“No, I’m fine. It’s only about two more hours.” 

“And you’ve only had about half a night’s worth of sleep,” Emily hums. They’re passing through a small town, and Emily points out a diner. “Look, stop in there. We’ll get some food and then switch off.” 

Aubrey sighs and pulls into the parking lot. After they’ve eaten, Emily gets into the driver’s seat. Aubrey ends up falling asleep, only waking up when she feels Emily tap her shoulder gently. She squints at Emily and looks around. It’s dark outside now, but Aubrey can see that they’re in a large parking lot. Lampposts flicker gently, moths hovering around them. The lights illuminate the few people that are walking in and out of what must be a mall. 

“Hey, you need clothes still,” Emily states. “I’ll pay for them, since it’s kind of my fault.” 

“No, Emily, really. I can buy them. I just need a couple of things anyway.” 

When Aubrey finishes shopping and exits the store, she finds Emily patiently waiting for her, a pretzel and a drink in hand. She smiles when she catches Aubrey’s eye, casually talking about how big the mall is as they walk side-by-side back out to the car again. Emily asks Aubrey if she wants to change into her new clothes. But Aubrey looks down at her current outfit and shrugs. 

“I mean, as long as you don’t mind.” 

“No, no! I don’t mind at all. Plus, you look really good.” 

Aubrey fights the smile that threatens to cross her face in vain. “Thanks.” 

“Of course,” Emily grins. “Now, let’s hit the road.” 

//

The motel they - Emily, really - found last minute is not the most charming place in the world. But it’s clean, without bedbugs, and seems safe enough. So Aubrey doesn’t complain. 

Emily falls asleep in her bed almost immediately after taking a shower and changing. Aubrey steps into the shower after her, cursing the motel silently for having barely lukewarm water. As she’s scrubbing conditioner out of her hair, she suddenly is hit with a surge of freezing cold water. Aubrey yelps, scrambling for the shower controls and managing to shut it off. 

While she’s drying off and slipping into her pajamas, she watches the lights of the bathroom start flickering rapidly. Suddenly, her mind is pulled to Emily, and she pushes her way out of the bathroom quickly, hair still dripping wet. 

Emily is asleep in her bed still, but Aubrey can see her twitching slightly, eyebrows furrowed together and lips formed into a grimace. Aubrey starts to try to wake her up, but before she can touch Emily’s shoulder gently, Emily’s starts talking rapidly, nothing of which Aubrey can make out. The lights above the bed start flickering, and Emily’s phone on the nightstand starts displaying static and ones and zeros, overlapping and glitching over the screen. 

Everything in Aubrey’s mind is telling her to run. Her heart is beating so fast her chest might burst. But Emily suddenly starts screaming and thrashing around, so Aubrey rushes to her side. The lights stop flickering and instead shine brighter than Aubrey could ever think possible, nearly blinding her. 

“Emily!” Aubrey raises her voice over Emily’s screaming. She grabs Emily’s wrists and clutches them so Emily won’t hurt herself by thrashing around. Emily’s eyes fly open, wide and scared, searching the room but never landing on Aubrey. The lights continue flickering - one of them bursts, sending glass shattering across the motel floor.

“Please, don’t hurt me! I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, please!” Emily cries. She tries to jerk away from Aubrey’s grip, but Aubrey holds tight. 

“Emily, you’re going to hurt yourself! Please calm down!” Aubrey moves her hands to cradle Emily’s face, forcing her to look Aubrey in the eye. “Emily, it’s me. It’s Aubrey. I’m not going to hurt you.” 

“Aubrey?” Emily’s eyes soften a bit, recognition hitting her finally. She looks around the room, seeing the flickering phones and television and broken glass spread over the floor. Her voice lowers to a hoarse whisper, choking back a sob. “Aubrey, I...I’m sorry. I didn’t...I don’t know what happened.” 

“Shh, it’s okay, Emily.” Aubrey moves onto the bed, letting Emily curl against her. She runs her hand through Emily’s hair carefully, trying not to get caught in the tangles. Emily is breathing so sporadically that it leaves her gasping every few seconds through her sobs. “Breathe. Everything is okay. You’re safe.” 

The room goes silent. The only sound is the occasional sniffle from Emily, face pressed against Aubrey’s neck like her life depends on it. Aubrey closes her eyes and tries to calm herself down as well, listening to Emily’s labored breathing and feeling the warmth of her breath on her. The lights that didn’t explode fade in and out slowly - perfectly in time with Emily’s breathing. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Aubrey opens her eyes. “Why are you sorry?” 

“I don’t know. Just everything. I broke some stuff. I scared you. I could have hurt you.” 

“I’m not hurt.” 

“But you could’ve been.” Aubrey feels Emily trace her fingers delicately over the bandages from where the shattered mirror in the diner cut Aubrey’s arms. 

Even when something terrible is clearly plaguing Emily’s mind, Emily is more concerned about Aubrey than her own safety. The thought makes Aubrey hold Emily closer against her. 

“What happened?” 

“Nightmare.” 

“Oh.” Aubrey adjusts herself so that they’re sitting more comfortably on the bed, against the pillows. Emily looks at her hesitantly until Aubrey nods and opens her arms. Emily scoots to allow Aubrey to embrace her again. “Can you...nevermind.” 

“Can I what?” 

“Tell me about it. Your nightmare.” Aubrey feels Emily tremble. “You don’t have to. I just thought maybe if I knew, I could help.” 

“I don’t remember it, really. Like, I remember how it makes me feel - which is not good - but not exactly what happens. I just know it feels really real. Like you know how you don’t really feel pain in dreams?” Aubrey nods. “I kind of felt it. I don’t know, maybe it was just from me moving around so much. That’s probably it.” 

Aubrey listens to Emily talk herself in and out of different explanations for a while longer, both of them growing drowsy. Or maybe it’s just from stress and exhaustion. Aubrey can’t help feeling protective over Emily, not letting her go as they drift into sleep. Emily’s voice grows more muffled and quiet with each passing sentence, and soon enough, she’s fast asleep in Aubrey’s arms. 

The lights finally stop flickering. 

//

Aubrey doesn’t really know what to expect from this Stacie Conrad. From what Emily’s been telling her, she half expects a mad scientist or a crazy conspiracy theorist to greet them when they enter the diner - Emily chose the meeting place. Aubrey’s beginning to think she has a strange obsession with diners.

(When she brings it up, Emily laughs and just says that she likes the energy of them.) 

“Emily Junk?” 

“Yes?” Emily answers. Aubrey and Emily both look up at the woman who’s approached their table. Both of them try not to stare, but neither were expecting the gorgeous woman in front of them. Aubrey is a little surprised by her appearance as well. Her outfit looks more like she’s ready to go to Coachella than talk about an in depth case study with them. Although Aubrey supposes she shouldn’t judge - it’s not like she’s in the lab right now. 

“I’m Stacie,” the scientist smirks at their staring. “It’s nice to meet you. And you must be Aubrey.” 

“That would be me,” Aubrey smiles. She’s about to offer Stacie the seat next to her, but Emily stands up before Aubrey can say anything. 

“Here, you can take my seat!” 

“Oh!” Stacie looks surprised, but scoots into the booth anyway. “Thank you. Do you want me to make room for you or are you going to stand there?” 

“I can sit with Aubrey! You probably want to be able to see both of us while you talk anyway.” Emily slides into the booth with Aubrey, nudging her shoulder. Aubrey shifts to the right a bit so they don’t bump against each other. 

“So,” Stacie focuses her attention on Emily. “You wanted to talk to me about my Psychokinetic Experiments.” 

“Uh, yes.” Emily pulls out a little notebook that Aubrey recalls her writing in on their drive down. She flips through the pages for a moment. Stacie raises an eyebrow at Aubrey, who just shrugs. “Ah, here. You said on your blog that the couple who you studied had an ‘adverse effect on electricity’. What does that mean, exactly?” 

“Essentially they affected the electrical objects around them. Lights would flicker, phones would glitch out. Things like that.” 

“Was it random?” Aubrey asks, remembering the way that the lights changed intensity last night with Emily’s breakdown. 

“No, not exactly.” Stacie doesn’t elaborate until Emily asks what that means. Stacie waves her hand dismissively. “I can’t give an exact answer yet. I haven’t done enough tests. I do have a hypothesis, but I’m keeping it under wraps until I can make some more observations.” 

Aubrey purses her lips, dissatisfied. But Emily asks a question that leaves both Aubrey and Stacie looking apprehensive. “What about the abduction?” 

A quiet lull hits the group. Emily stares at Stacie expectantly, almost desperately. Stacie drums her fingers on the table, rolling Emily’s question around in her head. Aubrey copes with the tension by downing an entire glass of iced tea. 

“It’s a complicated situation, Em. Can I call you Em?” Emily nods. “I’m gonna drop scientist mode for a sec and give it to you straight. This whole thing...it’s scary. Like, we’re deep into a sci-fi film right now. I feel like any moment, a Demogorgon is gonna appear and drag my girlfriends to the Upside-Down. Everything I’ve tested really doesn’t make any sense, and nobody is willing to assist me because they think I’m crazy or making things up. I want to find out more about the abduction, but right now it doesn’t seem possible.” 

“Why?” 

“They don’t remember anything about it. Nothing at all. Sometimes they’re able to give me vague things they can remember feeling, but that’s it.” Stacie sighs, running her fingers through her hair. “I want to help them. And you. But I can’t help with what I don’t understand.” 

“Maybe I can help.” 

“‘Scuse me?” 

“You said you needed to do more tests. I can be another test subject.” 

Aubrey speaks up. “Emily, I don’t know if that’s - ” 

“Oh my god, would you really?” Stacie interrupts. “The tests are very observational, nothing dangerous. There’s a few other things I’d have to do, just a few medical examinations, but I’ll explain all of it in detail before you go into any of it.” 

“I know having just one more person isn’t going to give you everything you probably would need to have a true experiment, but I’m glad to help anyway. Plus, maybe it’ll help explain some of my own...abnormalities.” Emily turns to Aubrey with a grin on her face. “What do you think, Aubrey?” 

The excitement the table is palpable - Stacie’s at finding another test subject and Emily at the possibility of understanding what’s happened to her. Almost all of the hesitance gets shoved to the back of Aubrey’s mind when Emily looks at her with sparkling eyes. She sighs. 

“Yeah, sure.” Emily beams. “But I do think that we should wait on any sort of experiments for a little while. I would like to stay in town for...research purposes, but I have to talk to my boss about taking a some time off. Shouldn’t be a problem.” 

“There’s another thing,” Stacie says. “I think it would be a good idea for you to talk to Beca and Chloe - the two who are my current case studies - first. Or just in general. I think it’d be beneficial for all of you. Psychologically speaking.” 

“Wouldn’t me asking them about your experiments create some sort of,” Emily waves her hands abstractly, “Participant bias or something?” 

Stacie’s eyebrow quirks up like she’s impressed, and she answers, “In a regular situation, maybe. But honestly? I’m throwing some of that out the window. Everything is so abnormal I don’t even know how to run most of the tests. It’s not like anyone is going to believe this research anyway. At this point, I’m doing it for the hell of it. If it works out, great, I’ll make changes and make it publishable. If not, oh well. Plus, when your girlfriends are the case studies, it’s shakes things up a little.” 

“You mentioned that earlier. Are you and Beca and Chloe all together?” Emily asks. 

“In a way,” Stacie shrugs. “It’s kind of in a weird middle area. They’re official. I’m officially something more romantic than a friend with benefits. Chloe will probably tell you all about it at some point.” 

“Seems ethical,” Aubrey deadpans. “Sleeping with your test subjects.” 

“And I’m sure that you always play by the rules, huh?” Stacie fires back, unphased. 

“What is that supposed to mean?” 

“Nothing,” Stacie hums. “You don’t have to stick around if you don’t want to. But I’m sure that your  _ ‘ _ research purposes _ ’  _ are very serious.” 

Aubrey’s jaw tightens. “My work is none of your concern. But if you really want to know, your research has the potential to be used by the government to help with any future cases. So try to take this seriously.” 

Neither Emily nor Stacie needs to know that she hasn’t talked to her department about this case at all. She doubts her boss is even aware that she’s out of town. 

“Nobody’s taking this more seriously than me, Aubrey,” Stacie straightens up, locking eyes with Aubrey. “I understand your concerns, and they’re noted. And not that it’s your business, but just to clarify: I was involved with Beca and Chloe before any of this happened. And another thing. this research will not be given to anyone, especially not the fucking government, if I or my girlfriends don’t give one hundred percent approval. Emily as well.” 

“Of course. I’m not some cold, government robot.” 

“Could’ve fooled me.” 

Stacie steps away for a moment to call Chloe, leaving Emily and Aubrey at the table. Emily frowns at Aubrey the second Stacie leaves. 

“Why are you acting weird?” 

“I’m not.” 

“Yes, you are. You’re all tense. Is it because of Stacie being with Beca and Chloe?”

“What? No. If it happened before everything else, I’m sure it’s fine.” 

“Then what is it?” Emily searches Aubrey’s eyes. Aubrey drops her gaze to Emily’s hands fidgeting with her fork. She swears that it bends in Emily’s grip for a second, and at this point she probably shouldn’t be surprised that it’s possible that Emily does have some enhanced strength. Or some weird, spoon bending telekinesis. “Aubrey. Seriously, what is it?” 

“I just don’t trust her yet. Is that what you want to hear?” Aubrey feels her defenses coming up. The bricks towering higher up on her walls. She knows that her voice came out sharp. She can see it on Emily’s face. 

“I don’t - I don’t  _ want  _ to hear anything. I mean, I do. That’s not what I meant. I want to hear what you have to say. But not what you think I want to hear. How you feel about all of this.” 

“Why does it matter?” 

“Because I trust you.” Just like that, the bricks start falling. Crumbling to the ground. Not completely, but enough for Emily to get a clear opening. A vulnerable spot. “So, tell me how you feel.” 

“I feel…” Aubrey sighs, staring at the ceiling as if the answer will appear up there. “I feel like this is a bad idea. We don’t even know what could come out of this. You could possibly get hurt. It could end up making things worse, uprooting some sort of repressed memories that should stay repressed.” 

“So, you’re saying I shouldn’t do it.” 

“I never said that.” 

“But - ”

“Just because I feel like it’s a bad idea doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. I could list cons all day, and find as many pros as well. It boils down to what you want to do, Emily. If you truly think that this is something you want - or need - to do, then I’m on board.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” 

Emily ponders this for a moment, twirling the fork in her fingers. “I want to do it.” 

“Okay. We’ll do it then.” 

Emily takes Aubrey’s hand in her own. Aubrey looks at the hand on her own like it’s a ticking time bomb. Her eyes flicker back up to Emily, who starts to open her mouth to say something. Just as she does, Stacie comes back to the table, getting the pair’s attention with a snap of her fingers. 

“Sorry if I’m interrupting a moment.”

“No,” Aubrey snatches her hand from Emily’s. She misses the disappointed look on Emily’s face. “We were just discussing what Emily wants to do.” 

“And?” 

“I’m doing it. But I want to talk to Beca and Chloe first.” 

“Well,” Stacie slaps her phone against her hand. “Looks like you’re in luck, E.T. Chloe is a little too eager to meet you. She wants to cook dinner for everyone tonight.” 

“Oh my gosh, really? That’s like, so sweet.” 

“If you knew how Chloe was in the kitchen, you’d be much less enthusiastic.” Stacie’s nose wrinkles. She must see Aubrey’s grimace as well, because she adds, “Don’t worry. Beca will end up fixing it.” 

“Are you sure this is okay?” Aubrey asks. “We wouldn’t want to impose.” 

“I’m positive. Chloe insisted. And you want to meet them anyway, so it works out great. I’ll text you the address. Right now, I have a little business to attend to. So, see you both at six?” 

Stacie departs, and Emily stands up immediately after. 

“You ready?” 

“For what?” 

“We’re going to the library.” 

//

It turns out that Emily wanted to search through old newspapers for any other reports of abductions. She seemed committed to the idea that it could be useful for Stacie, so Aubrey agreed. While Emily talks to the librarian, Aubrey steps outside to make a phone call. 

“Agent Posen. You missed your morning briefing.” 

“I’m aware. I sent an email, but I’m sure that you’ve been to busy to have your secretary read it to you,” Aubrey replies coldly. “So I thought I would call. I’m taking a week or two off, Agent Allen.” 

“You better have a good reason to.” 

“I have one, but I’ve accumulated so much vacation time that I shouldn’t have to explain myself.” 

“If you hadn’t played hooky yesterday and this morning, I’d be more willing to let it slide, Posen. But you did.” 

Aubrey grips her phone tighter. “Let me speak to Agent Swanson.” 

Jesse Swanson is one of the very few people that Aubrey works with who isn’t a complete ass. Even though he’s deep into the belly of the government, he hasn’t let that make him cold and cynical. Or a complete ass. Agent Allen lets out an exasperated sigh, and Aubrey hears the line switch. 

“This is Agent Swanson speaking.” 

“Jesse, would you tell Agent Allen to get his head out of his ass.” 

“Aubrey, it’s lovely to hear your voice.” Jesse chuckles. “But you know that’s not happening. He’s my superior. What’s the problem? Maybe I can talk to him.” 

Aubrey explains the situation as vaguely as possible. She hears Jesse sigh through the phone.

“Posen, it’s that abduction case isn’t it?” 

“I never said this was case related.” 

“You haven’t even taken a planned vacation since we were in training. You expect me to believe that something came over you that made you want to take a spur of the moment vacay? That’s not you, you plan your meals one week in advance.” 

“Fine, it’s work related. But it’s not the abduction case.” 

“I saw the footage, Aubrey. From the interrogation room? You gave that girl your card.” 

“I don’t recall.” 

“Yes, you do. You may have been able to sneak it past Bumper, but you can’t hide from my hawklike perception.” Jesse makes a terrible bird noise that makes Aubrey recoil from the phone. 

“Alright, alright. Don’t you dare - ”

“My lips are sealed.” Jesse’s voice drops lower. “But be careful. You know that these cases aren’t supposed to be publicized after they reach us. They aren’t even supposed to be investigated any further. Abduction cases get read and shoved away, where none of the public will find them. If anyone finds out, there could be trouble.” 

“What do you think would happen?” 

“I don’t know, Aubrey. You’re in uncharted territory. Swimming in the deep end. Surrounded by sharks.” 

“I get it.” 

“You haven’t told anyone else about this case, right? The only ones who know are us and the girl, right?” 

There’s a large clock on the building across from the library. It tells Aubrey that it’s four - only two hours before they have to go to Stacie’s house for dinner. Stacie’s house, where Stacie will conduct research on Emily in addition to her two girlfriends. All three of them who will soon know all of the details about Emily’s abduction, uncovering the truths that have been obscured from them. Aubrey closes her eyes and answers. 

“No. Nobody else knows.”

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on tumblr @rosadiaznypd
> 
> playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/sylverunicorn/playlist/4emGqQYb1tJNqoSvil4qsa?si=P5Jev3DIQ-G7A0JZzoAhcA


End file.
